Bull Riders Return to Cassville for Ridin’ with Mason Lowe Invitational
By: Mandi McCary
CASSVILLE, Mo. – To honor a fallen friend, 40 of the top athletes in the sport of bull riding will return to Bill Hailey Arena in Cassville on Saturday, May 8, for the second annual Ridin’ with Mason Lowe Invitational, a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Touring Pro Division event.
Mason Lowe, a Missouri native, passed away on January 15, 2019, as a result of injuries sustained during a PBR event at the Denver Coliseum.
To celebrate his career and dedication to the sport, the bull riders, in collaboration with Lowe’s closest friends and family, will pay tribute to the young athlete by doing what he loved to do at the outdoor arena nearest his hometown.
“Everyone in the community knew Mason, or knew of him, and his kindness toward others,” said event co-producer Stu Crowe. “When we started planning a memorial event back in 2019, it was really important to us that we created an event that had a hometown feel to it and gave not only the local community a way to celebrate his life but for everyone Mason impacted on the road and at PBR to as well.”
The night will feature names that resonate with bull riding fans worldwide, including Chase Dougherty, Austin Richardson, Kyle Jones, Andrew Alvidrez, Dakota Louis, Gage Gay, Matt Triplett, Brady Sims and many more. In addition, a handful of youth competitors will join in on the night’s action as they ride miniature-sized bulls at intermission with the help of their idols in the sport.
World-class bovines will challenge the talented cowboys as they compete at the annual tribute event. Stock Contractors will include:
• Big Rafter Rodeo (Jack Simmons / Colcord, Oklahoma)
• Breaking Bad Bucking Bulls (Corey Anderson / Huron, South Dakota)
• Cornwell Bucking Bulls (Justin Cornwell / Lima, Ohio)
• Gene Owen (Vinita, Oklahoma)
• Jenkins Cattle Co. (L.J. Jenkins / Porum, Oklahoma)
• Lucas Cattle & Bucking Bulls (Forrest Lucas / Wheatland, Missouri)
• New Generation Rodeo Co. (Cline Hall / Ash Flat, Arkansas)
• Sho-Me Rodeo (Joe Anderson / Buffalo, Missouri)
• 5G Farms (Russ Gant / West Plains, Missouri)
Lucas Teodoro and Noah Krepps alongside Evan Allard will keep the cowboys safe eight seconds at a time on the dirt while barrel-man Josh “Porkchop” Garrick keeps fans entertained and announcer Matt West lends his voice to the evening’s rides and scores. Safety-man and event co-producer Stu Crowe will be on horseback in the arena.
The bull riding action begins at 7 p.m. CST on Saturday, May 8, with gates opening at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Bill Hailey Arena gate upon entry and will be $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
Thanks to the generosity of title sponsors and support of the attendees, all proceeds from the event will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Lowe’s name.
The inaugural tribute event was held in May of 2019 and raised $15,000 for St Jude. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions in the state of Missouri, the 2020 event was canceled.
Each rider will face one bull during Round 1 before the 10 riders with the highest scores advance to the championship round. The overall event winner will be the rider who has earned the most points over two rides.
The Touring Pro Division of PBR allows riders to earn points toward qualifying for the premier tour or adding to their existing world points rank.
For more information and event updates, please visit the Ridin’ With Mason Lowe Facebook Page.
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